Developer Eyeing West Hartford Convent For Massive Apartment Complex

WEST HARTFORD – A New York-based developer is working toward an agreement with the Sisters of St. Joseph to turn the convent at the corner of Prospect Avenue and Park Road into a massive apartment complex, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Center Development Corp., which developed Hartford's Park Place Towers, is proposing housing for the sisters who still live in the 185,000-square-foot building, as well as a large number of units that would be marketed to young professionals, said Rob Rowlson, director of community services for the town.

"I don't know how many units, but they're certainly talking about a substantial amount of units," Rowlson said.

"I can unequivocally state that housing would be a significant addition to the Parkville neighborhood in terms of its overall economic impact on the area. It will bring significant new dollars to the area," he said. "I can confirm that if this proposal goes through, it will be the single biggest housing development in Park Road's history."

The developer has not yet filed plans with the town, so there is no specific proposal. But drawings provided by the firm earlier this year, which were meant as an illustration of what could be constructed on the site, show a series of long, connected buildings around courtyards. The buildings in the drawing were several stories high and showed a classic look with some colonial-style touches.

Town Manager Ronald. F. Van Winkle said the development, with relatively dense housing, would be good for the local economy and good for that neighborhood.

"A lot of people living in that neighborhood is what makes West Hartford a great place," Van Winkle said.

And he said the benefits would spill over to the Parkville neighborhood on the Hartford side of Prospect Avenue, where many restaurants including Lena's and O'Porto are located. "Certainly the neighborhood doesn't end at Prospect Avenue," he said.

Earlier this year the sisters issued a request for proposals for potential development of the 21.87-acre property, which includes a 185,000-square-foot convent, a chapel and expansive grounds that include a brook.

Town officials have said the property provides a unique opportunity for new development in a town that's mostly built out. Between this and the upcoming sale of the 58-acre University of Connecticut property off Trout Brook Drive, the town may see new development occur at a level that it hasn't in years.

"It is unusual in that it's so large," said Van Winkle. "Although we have UConn at the same moment, to see a property of this size come on the market in West Hartford is very unique."

The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery have owned the property since 1898. They built on it over the next several decades, completing the final wing of the convent in the mid-1960s.

The property is divided into three tax parcels, with a total assessed value of $14.96 million, according to the request for proposals. The property is currently tax-exempt.

The property is currently in an R6 zone, which allows for one-family residences on a lot area of at least 6,000 square feet per unit, according to town zoning regulations.

The maximum height allowed for that location under the current zoning rules is eight stories, and there is no indication the developer is seeking to build taller than that.

Town plan and zoning commission approval would be required to rezone the property.